Decisions
by daevilgenius
Summary: It was a facade both have agreed to. Royai. Episode 25 spoilers.


It was a normal day, and in the lives of Roy and his subordinates, having a normal day (boring day as some may say) at work was a blessing (or curse? Really depends, is the glass half empty or full?).

Being the king of procrastination, Roy was taking a nap "why waste such a lovely day signing papers?" and to his advantage, and the fact that there weren't any bullets holes anywhere near him or _on_ him, his first lieutenant was off for the day. It was a rare day indeed.

Nobody in the office was attempting to do any work, each deciding to take full advantage of the absence of the first lieutenant. Even Fuery and Falman were not doing anything productive, choosing instead to play a game of chess. Breda was reading the newspaper whilst Havoc blew puffs of smoke, with his feet up on the desk and mind recalling the date he had the night before. With the dreamy look plastered on his face, it was obvious that it was one of times where the date actually went well.

As peaceful as the day was, it never left the mind of every of them, on what was missing in their utopian day at work.

"It feels as though something is missing isn't it?" Fury said as he moved his knight. "I am almost expecting Hughes to barge through that door" Havoc said.

Roy has woken up from his nap, and was doodling on corner of a piece of paper (no doubt an important document he was supposed to sign). He looked up at his subordinates, wanting to say something but decided against it. Maes's death was still a rather sensitive subject for Roy but he knew better. He wasn't the only one affected by Maes's death and he knew that everyone else in the room was too.

Roy sighed and turned his chair to face the window. Deciding that it was too beautiful a day to spend indoors, he got up, picked up his coat and headed out. "I'll be back in a while" he said as he put on his coat as left. Hardly an eyelid was batted when the colonel left. They knew all too well that Roy would have left sooner or later, a common fact that the colonel hated to stay in on such a lovely day (seeing how he absolutely loathe it when the rainy season came).

Riza was carrying her groceries back to her apartment when she decided to stop at a small café for a light lunch. Seated at the window, she enjoyed her sandwich whilst mulling over the thought at what everyone was doing back at the office. She knew very well that no work was being done and she simply didn't really care at the moment. After everything that has happened, causing a mountain high worth of paperwork, she felt that everyone needed the break, and so did she.

Whilst she sipped her coffee, staring out the window, she saw a very familiar figure, accompanied by a pretty lady walking down the street. As the couple approached closer to the café, she realized that it was Roy and someone she didn't know. A surge of jealousy welled up in her but she knew better didn't she? Riza continued to look at the couple as they approached. Standing almost directly in front of Riza, the lady suddenly turned Roy around and kissed him passionately. Riza chocked on her coffee, coughing and spluttering. She covered her mouth with the serviette and continued to cough into it, her cheeks now red, the coughing not being the only cause of it. As quickly as the kiss began, it ended and the lady walked away, waving at a stunned colonel and turned at the corner.

Suddenly aware at where he was, he turned to find himself staring at Riza through the window of the café. She was staring at him with a stone cold look, and Roy could feel his insides twisting with guilt. He quickly entered the café and told the waitress that he was looking for Riza, gesturing at the lady sitting by the window.

"Riza…" he said, standing rather lamely next to the table.

"Sir" she replied coldly, standing up to give him a quick solute.

"Please Riza, no formalities" he said, sitting down opposite her. She too resumed her seat and returned to sipping her coffee (she ordered another one with an extra shot for … she just needed it)

"I…" before Roy could finish his sentence, she cut in. "Have you finished your paperwork sir?" she glare cutting through him.

"Well…no" he replied lamely, his cheeks still rather flushed.

"Then I suggest you return to the office to complete it sir" she replied, her gaze avoiding his and her tone ice cold.

"Please Riza, I can explain" he said, a definite sign of agitation in his demeanour.

"There's nothing to explain _ROY_" a distinct bitterness in the way she said his name. "It's your life, you can snog whomever you wish. Now if you will excuse me, I need to drop off my groceries at home before I head for the shooting range. Good day to you _sir_" she said, not leaving Roy a chance to retaliate as she stood up and headed to the counter to settle her bill.

Realizing the situation he was in, he knew it all too well not to make a scene. There were anti-fraternization laws and he was in uniform. He simply slumped into the seat and watched Riza walk away before getting up and heading back to the office.

Riza loaded her gun once again and started shooting at the paper target. Each shot with an image of Roy in her head. She didn't understand why she was so upset. _There was nothing between us to begin with…_

She knew her thoughts were lies, too much had happened between them for there to be nothing. _There is nothing romantic anymore anyway…_

She was surprised at her own feelings and this only urged her to shoot even more violently, almost disintegrating the paper target.

Once she was slightly panting, she looked at her watch and realizing she had been shooting for nearly 2 hours, she decided to head home.

Roy stared at the clock on the office wall, waiting for six o'clock to come so he could leave. The change in the colonel's mood was not left unnoticed by his subordinates, but deciding that it was probably nothing serious, they just left it at that. It was too peaceful a day to disturb a moody colonel.

Riza was just out of the shower when she heard someone knocking on her door followed by barks from Black Hayate. She shushed the dog. "Who is it?" she asked as she quickly clothed herself, towel drying her hair.

"It's me Riza" she heard the colonel reply. She sighed, hung the towel on the rack and walked towards the door.

Roy waited anxiously outside, having half a mind to turn around and leave. It wasn't long before Riza opened the door. She had a poker face on, and nothing scared Roy more then being unable to read her.

"Yes sir?" she asked, tone just as cold as earlier in the day.

"Can I come in Riza?" he asked.

She simply stood aside, allowing Roy to enter. He took off his coat and hung it on the coat stand behind the door. He was no longer in uniform, having dropped by his own place to change before heading towards her house. He was no stranger to her house but he knew he was presently very unwelcomed.

"Riza…" he began but she cut him off. (He knew she was angry whenever she did that, making the situation even harder for him)

"Would you like anything to drink sir?" she asked as she walked towards the kitchen. "No, thanks" he replied as he watched her disappear behind the doors. Before he could even settle himself more comfortably on the couch, she came back in, holding a cup of tea in her hands.

She sat on the other end of the couch, facing Roy, the dreaded poker face on her features again. "About this afternoon Riza, I can explain" Roy began.

"There is nothing to explain Roy. You can do whatever you wish" she said, her tone monotonous. "_Whomever _you wished" she said, a sharp dagger through Roy.

"I'm not _doing_ her!" he said, temper now rising. "She was a friend from when we were stationed in the east".

Riza had now put her cup down on the table. "I'm sure she is Roy. Very intimate with your old _friends_ aren't you?"

"SHE was the one who kissed me! I happened to run into her today, and we decided on a walk. We were about to part when you saw her kissing me! She left afterwards didn't she? Or did you just happen to miss that part?" his temper definitely being pushed. He was staring at Riza with just as much anger as she was at him.

Riza chose not to answer him. Even daggers were no match to the sharpness of her glares.

Taking advantage of her silence, he continued, "Riza, there was no one after we buried Maes…" he said, taking hold of her hand. His voice low, a hint of sadness still remained each time he mentioned his best friend.

She looked down at her hand, taking them away from his. She looked up at him again. Her eyes now softer and much to her own disdain, so were his. It would have been so much easier if he was simply angry. It would have been so much easier if he hadn't mentioned Maes. It would have been so much easier if so much hadn't happened. Simply said, things would have been so much easier if they weren't who they were.

"That night was a one time thing Roy. We both decided, for our sakes and the sakes of everyone else that we couldn't let anything happen between us" she said, looking at him. Her eyes glazed with tears.

Roy moved closer to Riza. She could smell him, his distinct scent, one which she can never truly describe, one which she loved but hated at the same time.

"You're right" he sighed. She never wished so much to be wrong that when it came to that moment. He leaned in and kissed Riza softly, taking her by surprise. She indulged in the kiss for a moment before pushing him away.

"You know we can't do this Roy" she said, her hands still resting on her chest.

"I don't care. Do you know how difficult it was for me hide how I felt about you? Do you realize how painful it was for me to simply push back how I felt? To simply forget that night? How could you have just treated that night as though it hadn't happened?" he asked, now holding her hands tightly in his.

Her heart felt heavy. She avoided his gaze as she replied, "It was hard for me too Roy. I felt the pain too" she looked up at him. "I couldn't let anything happen. I couldn't risk becoming a liability to you. I couldn't risk your goal".

He was shocked to hear those words from her. He embraced her tightly and said to her, "Damn it Riza, you will never be a liability to me. I need you, in many ways then simply a subordinate. Things are going to become so much more difficult and I need you to be there. I need you", he said, his voice almost pleading.

"I said I will follow you and I never go back on my word" she said.

They parted and she placed a kiss on his lips. Their moment of intimacy was quickly halted as Black Hayate leapt onto the couch. Roy chuckled and started patting the mutt, pampering the dog as he scratched behind its ears. Riza too joined in patting the dog, her hand rubbing slightly against Roy's.

"There is too much danger involved as it is Roy…" she said, voice soft and very unlike her usual tone of command. She lifted the dog off the couch and put it on the floor.

"Maes always told me to get a wife…" he said, catching Riza completely off guard.

"Roy…?" her eyes wide with shock.

Roy smiled and leaned back onto the couch. "He told me to surround myself with people who understand and support me" he turned to look at her, "and I realized that I was already surrounded by such people". He leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek, his arms snaking behind her then pulling her close in a one armed embrace. Riza leaned against his chest.

"Once it becomes possible…" Roy leaned in closer to her ear "will you marry me Riza?" he whispered.

She turned to face him and smiled at him. She kissed his lips once more and whispered back into his ear, "yes, no matter how long it takes till it becomes possible, I will marry you".

A feeling of absolute relief and joy filled Roy, a feeling he had never felt before. He kissed his fiancé passionately and embraced her. He chuckled as he thought of Hughes. "I can just imagine Hughes smiling right now" he said to her. "So can I".

Whatever remaining night was spent in memory of Hughes, as the two talked of their departed friend, much of which were Roy's recollection, having known Hughes much longer then Riza. She could see the heavy burden lift off his shoulder the more he talked of his friend.

"I would have made him my best man" he said, looking up at the ceiling. That was the last either of them spoke about a wedding, a mutual understanding that they will cross the bridge once they get to it.

Riza knew what she needed to do, as so did Roy. Both will be faced dire challenges and consequences but they knew, so long as their love and loyalty never wavered, anything was possible.

It was getting late and Riza decided that Roy return to his apartment. Even with Roy's childish protests, he got up and with a final kiss, he left. The next day, they would be superior and subordinate again. A façade both have agreed to. But it was different this time round, for there were more "accidental" rubbing of the shoulders as they walked side by side in the hall of the military building, there were more brief touches of the hands as she passed him the day's paperwork. On the rare occasions, when they were alone, forced to stay late night to complete work or discuss their latest missions, they would kiss, nothing long and passionate but a slight reminder that they will be there for each other.

It was no secret amongst Fuery, Breda, Falman and Havoc. It was common fact that their colonel and first lieutenant loved each other. It was just a matter of time and they were glad that the time had come. Besides, who else could cover to unexpected passer bys from the other divisions what the colonel and his first lieutenant was doing late at night in the office.

"He better make me his best man", Havoc grumbled one day as he scribbled through the extra paperwork he was made to do.


End file.
